The Temple
=Current rumour and confirmed reports say...= The Temple is a religious order in service of the Oracles of Hyboria. Not much is known of the Temple, however some say the Temple Order believes only their Oracles can communicate with the known and unknown gods of Hyboria and only Oracles can accurately tell men what the will of the gods be. The Order is believed to embrace all the gods and have a syncretic theology with emphasis placed on dialectical monism. Reportedly, their view is that all other religious orders are apostate and teach heresies in the absence of the guiding hand of the Oracles. No man or woman can be saved outside the influence of the Oracles, no revelation can be true unless rendered from within the Temple, no sacrament holy, and of the gods, unless delivered by the High Priest. The Temple is actively purging the lands of Hyboria of idolatry and heresies. The Order seeks repentance from apostates and promise total atonement for transgressions. They have been seen throughout Aquillonia, Cimmeria and Stygia converting clergy from all orders: Mitra, Set, Xotli and several of the lesser known Deus Otiosus gods such as Crom, known demiurges and the various demi-gods and daemonic powers invoked by the animists from the Northlands. The Temple's teachings are a highly guarded secret. It is not known who the High Priest is, who the Oracles are, or the specifics of their theology outside of what can be ascertained through the writings of Zarathus the List Keeper, a Stygian scribe of some note, and through the works of Hamilthyn, an oral historian from the Cimmerian highlands, who was amongst the first to report on the activities of the Temple. Zarathus writes in his Dialogues of Decline, "... that they roam the lands freely and without worry of retribution is not the problem, though many believe it is the heart of the issue. The problem is their insistence that our traditions, our Priestly Order, our very authority through ordination by Set, Himself, are vanities to be pushed aside.... they demand atonement and seek to redeem others through bloodletting, believing themselves the redeemer....that this 'Pahtroon' pejortive for Temple points to a decline in central power is apparent as is their debauchery and apostasy.." Hamilthyn was recorded, though her exact words cannot be verified, as saying, "The red handed men came down the steppes and washed over the villages carrying away the children and slaying both man and woman who refused to prostrate themselves. Unlike the dark skinned heathen, these peoples neither demanded we forsake the bear, or curse Crom, but demanded we seek out magical beings of immense power they called Prophets and Seers of Tidings... the ash and black smoke rose as sacrifices to their gods, and Crom cursed us all to live another day as they continued south on their quest to shed blood and to drive the hordes before them with a fierce battle cry not heard since Niord slay the Great Wurm."